


Cold Shoulders, Warm Kisses

by phatjake



Category: Power Rangers (2017)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, HartScott, Humor, Jimberly, Slow Burn, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-18
Updated: 2018-04-25
Packaged: 2019-04-24 13:54:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14356866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phatjake/pseuds/phatjake
Summary: Kim and Jason are both unsure how to define in their budding relationship. Neither wants to hurt the other or the team. As the weather gets colder, things begin to heat up.





	1. Winter Formal

{ **Friday Morning- 9 Hours before the Dance** }

Jason missed being the lead quarterback; he could screw around and still pass class. He would have his tutors do the work and he would rewrite it. But if he wanted to get away from this God forsaken town; he needed to stay focused. He looked over to see Kim; she was also trying to pay attention. She looked back and he smiled. She smiled but returned to taking notes.

The past week had also been a wild ride of emotions. He had agreed to go to the dance and there he was going to talk to Kim. He wanted them to both be on the same page and currently they were reading different chapters of the same book. He rubbed his eyes and realized he had been zoning out. The board was full of more notes and he tried to write down as much as he could as the bell rang.

As the students left the room he was finishing up his notes. He looked up too see Kim waiting for him, she didn’t normally do that so he snatched his bag and packed it up quickly so they could walk to their next class. He got over to her and they both left the classroom.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“Yeah, I still don’t know what will come after the Zeo Crystal. So I hope we can all stay ready and train. I hope we can get better control with the Zords, but not ruin our little amount of social lives all while trying to graduate so we can go to college,” he said.

“Damn Jay, you need a night off. Good thing the dance is tonight,” she said. “You still want to go right?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” he said and stopped. “Fuck it, I’ll pick you up at six?”

“Good, see you at lunch,” she said.

 

{ **The Dance** }

Why wasn’t he dancing? He was at the Winter Dance, the music had just become slow and he was a wall flower. Jason rubbed his knee that formally gnawed in pain. But that was before the Power. It was before he became a super hero. He looked around; he didn’t see any of his friends. Well he saw his former football “friends” but they didn’t talk to him. Even though he hadn’t ratted them out and had ruined his life.

“Hey, Red,” she said with a minor garble. “Drink?”

Kim smirked as she handed him a metal flask. He unscrewed the top and took a swig. She looked good in her leather jacket, she put her arm around him and he bent down slightly. She started playing with his hair and he could feel the heat form on his cheeks. He smiled and she giggled.

“Shall we dance Hart?” he asked.

“”You couldn’t handle me,” she said as she pulled away, her hand lingered on his cheek.

“You underestimate me,” he said.

She bit her lip before she walked to the dance floor. He saw her sway her hips and he quickly followed her. The night was young; he felt the alcohol like a ball of fire in his stomach. The music kicked up and he was relieved because he wasn’t sure his experience with slow dancing was up to par. He moved with the music and he saw her cover his mouth to stifle a laugh.

As she danced he tried to follow, she had control of her hips that he didn’t. She grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer. Their bodies brushed together and she seemed right; he couldn’t handle her. Yet she pulled him closer as they danced. He thought back to his room; the night she came in looking for advice. They hadn’t saved Angel Grove yet but it was the last night of them being Powerless.

The past few months he wasn’t sure about _them_. He had a crush on her for years but when she started dating Ty he moved on. When he had heard about her knocking his tooth out he thought; maybe this was the time. The two were then thrown into an outrageous situation. He had shaken it from his head and tried to focus on leading his team.

They both shared a few more swigs as they danced. The music was loud; the teachers weren’t paying attention as they continued to take quick swigs. He was starting to feel light-headed but he felt amazing. She quickly hid the flask and danced closer to him.

But tonight he couldn’t focus on anything but her. Her hands were against his lower back. He felt her hips sway against his. He felt her hot breath as she laughed in his ear. His arms were around her waist, he didn’t want to be crude but she was making it hard. They were just friends; she was just acting this way because she was a tad buzzed. This was fun, simple harmless fun and that was it.

“Come on, Jay you’re dancing like a statue.” Kim said and playfully nudged him.

“Can we talk? Outside?” he asked.

“Yeah, what’s up?” she said.

She interlocked her arm with his and tugged him out of the gymnasium. He couldn’t help but smile. They walked passed the concession stand. As they opened the doors the cold air brushed over them. It was nice to feel this chilly air and he could feel the words come to him. Yet as he opened his mouth it quickly closed.

“You wanted to talk and now you’re just staring,” she said.

“You and I… what are we?” he said sheepishly.

“What?” she said; was she drunk? She wasn’t sure what he meant.

“Sorry, I’m just going to shut up,” he said. “Looks like the alcohol is talking.”

“You can tell me anything,” she said as they locked eyes. He looked down.

Could he really tell her anything? He could be wrong about his feelings. He ran his fingers through his blond hair. Jason had never been this nervous before. When she had come over to his place with her dilemma he had an answer. When they were on clean up after Rita’s attack they had almost had this very conversation. Then that weird hybrid blew up a building he decided to shelve it. The universe didn’t want them to be anything more than friends.

“You’re starting to scare me,” she said, her hand rested on the back of his neck.

“What brought you over to me?” he asked.

“You looked lonely and I was too,” she said. “What are friends for?”

“Friends, _yeah_ ,” he said and chuckled. “That’s what I thought. Let’s go dance, friend.”

Kim felt him lightly tug her back into the school; her smile faltered. The way he said friend made her feel strange. He had wanted to talk and then he acted like a weirdo. She stopped before he could open the door. He jolted as she stood her ground, _super strength_ ; he turned around. Her brown eyes were intently looking into his baby blues.

“I’m not going to play mind games with Jason Lee Scott and you damn well better not do that to me,” she said.

“Mind games?” he said, he was completely oblivious. “I wasn’t-“

“I want to be clear with you and you better be clear with me, spill;” she said and pulled him.

They were chest to chest; he looked down at the spitfire of a Goddess he had been crushing on. How could he tell her? What was he going to say? He would look like a total whack job. No one just spews their feelings, confessing their love ( _lust_?) She smacked his chest because he was silent and he took an audible swallow.

“Let’s have some fun, yeah? I’m feeling the buzz and I’m ready to dance,” he said.

“I thought you wanted to talk to me,” she said. “Why are you back pedaling?”

 

{ **Last Week** }

Jason didn’t have homework, he wanted the day in detention to be over already. He looked over to Kim, she was chewing on the cap of her pen. They shared a smile and she nodded to the door. The teacher was reading as she got up and took the lady’s hall pass. He waited a few minutes so their detention teacher had forgotten about Kim; he seemed very into his murder mystery novel. Jason got up and grabbed the guy’s hall pass.

He looked around as he walked the halls of Angel Grove High; he felt a tug as she took his wrist, _super strength_. His back hit the door of the men’s bathroom; she felt him tense up before they kissed and he relaxed. Any chance they could get alone they would share these quick kisses. But they never talked before or afterwards. Like wild animals they grabbed at each other but they couldn’t strip each other down. She pulled him closer as their tongues rolled around playfully. She broke the kiss and smiled.

“Are you going to the dance next week?” she asked.

“I’m not sure, I kind of want to be lazy,” he said, he really wanted to talk about his feelings.

“Come on, you’re the leader and it will boost team morale,” she said as she nudged him.

“I’ll see if I can make room in my schedule between being a super hero and whatever this is,” he said with a smile that quickly faltered.

“We’re teenagers, we don’t need labels. Let’s just have some fun,” she said and kissed him again.

“I do like fun,” he said after the kiss.

She gave him another kiss before she left the bathroom. They knew they could only be away from class for so long before he starts to look for them. Her hips swayed back and forth as she left and he watched before the door closed. He didn’t want this to end; whatever it may be. They still hadn’t done anything beyond kissing. So neither of them are too pressed to define the relationship.

He walked over to the sink, turned the water on and splashed his face. He breathed out slowly, grabbed some paper towel and wiped his face off. He tossed the crumpled up paper into the trash and returned to detention. There was only a few hours left, he could handle it. But then he would go home and over think today.

 

{ **Now** }

When he didn’t answer her she scoffed and returned to the dance. He wasn’t sure what to say to her and he would rather her be mad now about his silence then breaking the team apart because of the wrong thing being said. He paced outside for a few minutes before he returned to the dance. He looked around for her, the music was loud and everyone was dancing. He walked through the crowd, trying to find her.

He was starting to regret having the frog in his throat. He had been too nervous to just say how he felt. Was it really that hard? Yes. He felt a few people bump into him but he saw her dancing alone. He moved through the crowd, trying his best to not just knock everyone aside.

“Kim!” he yelled and she stopped.

“What?” she spat. “Let me just have some fuckin’ fun.”

“I think we could both have fun,” he said, “together.”

“Oh, he speaks! Finally, what brought about this Jay?” she said. “I thought the cat had your tongue.”

“Always with the jokes,” he said and stopped her. “I don’t want to fight with you tonight.”

“So do we fight tomorrow?” she said.

“I mean if I act like an idiot again than, yes.” Jason said and smiled.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and he wrapped his around her waist. Maybe tonight wasn’t the night for talking. Like last week wasn’t the time to chat. But he knew he couldn’t keep sneaking around. He wanted to make it official and if he understood why she was so hesitant, they could work this situation out. He was at ease as they danced. He had never danced on a cloud but he assumed this was the closest he would get.

As the night went on she seemed to become more comfortable, softer with him. She rested her cheek on his chest as they danced. Her breathing slowed down with the music. He kissed the top of her head. The gymnasium was full of students, all dancing and even though they were surrounded he felt like it was just the two of them. Her hands ran up and down his back before she slipped them into the back pockets of his pants.

“We should go on a date,” he said. “My treat.”

She pulled away and looked up to him. He seemed genuine and honest. She was taken aback. She thought they were just having fun. No need to settle on something because, relationships ended. But what they had was special. She liked sneaking kisses and flirting with him, making him blush around the team. What could hurt? A date was just a nice evening out. She smiled and nodded.

“That sounds like a great idea,” she said. “We’ll figure out the details later.”

“Great,” he said.

The music became a bit faster before the night would eventually end. There would be a few more popular fast songs and then the night would end with the final slow song. Most of the students that weren’t in a relationship would have left by then. But Jason and Kim stayed, danced and share a few passionate kisses. He pushed the thoughts of defining what they were to the back of his head. He didn’t want to press her, he had gotten a date. As the final song of the night reached it’s crescendo; Jason placed his hand on her cheek prior to kissing her.

“Jay, the last time I rushed things… I punched a guy’s tooth out,” she said.

“I’ll take it slow,” he said. “As well as take my chances.” Jason smiled, took her arm and walked her out.


	2. The Special Place

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kim doesn't want to go home.

The lights came up as the final song ended. The students left the gymnasium. Kim nods to the door and takes his arm. She stumbles a bit but luckily she was holding onto Jason. He helped Kim into his truck, she was giggly after the dance. Plus he was sure she had more booze than he had. So he was going to make sure she got home safe, he had a tiny buzz so he wasn’t worried. He would drive slow and make sure not to total another truck. He buckled her in and closed the door. He walked around the front of the truck and got in, buckled up and turned the truck on. It revved loudly, the whole truck shook as it awoke from its slumber. She giggled more as she shook with the truck.

“I don’t want to go home,” she said. “Let’s run away, let’s finally do it.”

“You’re drunk, so I won’t bring you home right away,” he said as he began to drive away.

“You’re drunk you bit-“ she said and hiccuped.

“Please don’t throw up in the truck,” he said and she punched his shoulder. “I’m serious.”

“You’re not my boss, _*hiccup*_ you’re just the Red _*hiccup*_ Ranger,” she said and crossed her arms.

He reached into the back seat and grabbed a bottle of water. He handed it to her and she drank it slowly. He drove the streets of Angel Grove slowly and turned off to the highway so he could drive up to the mountains. They could overlook their small crap town while she got sober. That or they could keep drinking and sleep in the bed of his truck. He didn’t want to get his hopes up or do anything stupid. As they drove she realized they were far from Angel Grove.

“Wait, are we doing it? We’re really running away?” she said.

“We’re going to a special place,” he said, _the place I feel in love with you_.

She looked a bit confused but he couldn’t focus on watching her. She looked out the window; everything was dark and slightly blurry. So she wasn’t sure where they were going. Her lips were dry; she took a few more sips of water. She breathed out; her flask was in her purse but she had forgotten about it as she tried to figure out what special place they were going to. Nothing in Angel Grove was special. But then she had to try and think like Jason; who was a cheesy dude. She rubbed her eyes and things started to look familiar.

As she realized where they were going; she wondered what was so special about the mountains she lived near. She closed her eyes and it was slowly coming back to her; the night they became Rangers. He was ready to run away with her. He had a van and she made fun of him for it. What if they had got into Billy’s van? What if Zack, Trini and Billy had found the ship without them?

The night returned to her and she felt like she was reliving it. He had looked at her like no one else had. Jason Scott the former Star Quarterback and Kimberly Hart the head Cheerleader of team Mean Girl. How long had they “known of” each other? Had it only been high school? Had it been longer? Their paths had rarely crossed. If this had been some romantic comedy they would be the main couple.

 

_Four Years Ago two young freshman of Angel Grove joined the Junior Varsity Football team and the other JV Cheerleading. Jason Scott quickly rose in the ranks of the JV team and Kimberly Hart had noticed him as she cheered for him each week. The two young Freshmen quickly became the most popular kids. They hung out with upper classmen and were at all the parties. Mark Stone was the quarterback of the Angel Grove Tigers; he was a legend and each year held the biggest party. This party is where Kim and Jason finally met._

_“I’m Jason, nice to-“ he said; holding a red solo cup as he walked over to Kim._

_“I know who you are,” she said with a smirk. “People talk, Scott.”_

_“What do they say?” he said as a smile formed._

_“Lots of people say you rocked my world after Homecoming,” she said._

_“Oh, you’re welcome,” he said and she pushed him playfully._

_“Guess we should start more rumors,” she said as she moved closer._

 

Kim let out a laugh, she had been day dreaming. Jason had looked at her after he had parked. She covered her mouth to stifle her giggling. He was curious but also entertained enough to just wait it out. As her laughter subsided she unbuckled the belt and they walked into the forest. She took his arm and looked up to him, as they walked she explained her daydream and it was finished as they could see Angel Grove.

“I don’t think we talk like that at all,” he said and laughed.

“It was a dream, we never met in Freshman year and no one ever thought we were dating,” she said and pushed him.

“Not what I heard,” he said and laughed as she pushed him again.

“I’ll push you down this mountain,” she said with a smirk. “What’s so special about this place anyway?”

Jason looked out; he wondered if this was how the Greek Pantheon felt as they looked down on Earth from Mt. Olympus. He had been thinking about this question during the ride up and he was glad she asked it. Because if he started to just talk about why he thought it was special out of nowhere he would look like a mad man. He looked back to her, she was so beautiful and making her happy was his new favorite thing.

“I knew then that no matter what happened between us after that night that I would have your back. I was so ready to run away with you but we became super heroes. After the accident the first person I talked with was you. I don’t want to get too cheesy,” he said.

“Too late blondie,” she said as she wrapped her arms around his waist. “Tell me more.”

“This is our spot, from then to the end. I know we’re having fun now but one day we could be a couple,” he said.

“Do you already have our children named?” she asked and laughed.

“Melody for a girl and Samuel or Sammie for a boy,” he said.

“A bit creepy, blondie,” she said and she motioned to a log.

They walked over and sat down; her legs were getting tired as the alcohol continued to course through her. She opened her purse and handed him the flask. They shared a few swigs as they watched the city lights. Most of the suburban areas soon became dark. Most of the city lights stayed on. They could see headlights from the cars and trucks that drove the streets in the middle of the night. The rum was giving him a buzz that soon became stronger.

“If we don’t take this slow,”

“You’ll punch my tooth out?” he said and laughed.

“I may have to right now,” she said as they continued to share swigs of rum.

Jason leaned in and they shared a long kiss, the empty flask fell from her hand and bounced. She put her hands on his neck as their kiss became more passionate. His hands went to her hips, she moved closer as they kissed. Their breathing became in sync before the kiss ended, she sighed happily. She looked at him, he was no Ty. Maybe she could defrost the cold shoulder.

“I’m still not ready,” she sighed. “I’m sorry Jay.”

“Don’t be,” he said as he played with her hair. “Once we go out on the date I’ll have to hire someone to keep you off me.”

“You’re the drunken one now,” she said as she nuzzled against his chest. “You better have sleeping bags.”

“If you think the leader of the Power Rangers didn’t have a plan for tonight then you would be wrong,” he said as he rubbed her shoulder.

She laughed as she closed her eyes, it had been getting cold and his body was warm. As he rubbed her shoulder and held her tighter she had felt safe. She hadn’t felt this way before. But she chalked it up to being in a Honeymoon phase of sorts. She realized she was doing this a lot, doubting what they could have. But he continued to surprise her even as she pushed him away or built up her shields.

“Why Melody?” she asked.

“What?”

“The name, why did you pick it? She reiterated.

“Oh. I’ve always sort of liked how it sounded. Also I’ve never known a Melody so I feel like it would be unique without being strange.” Jason said and looked down to see Kim asleep.

Jason lifted her up and walked over to his truck. He opened the door to set her down in the front seat. He got the sleeping bags from the back of the front cab. He took them to the bed of the truck, opened the door and started setting up their sleeping bags. He hopped out of the truck, got the pillows from the cab and placed them in the truck bed. He heard her stir and help guide her to the back of the truck. He helped her climb into the bed of the truck and get into the sleeping bag. He zipped her up and climbed into his own sleeping back, zipped.


	3. Our Moment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The night becomes too cold for Kim.

Even though she was tightly zipped up, the night became cold. Kimberly generally ran cold and in her own bed she would have a few comforters to keep her nice and warm. But the sleeping back that was in the bed of Jason’s truck was only just okay. She wrapped her arms around her waist and rubbed her sides. She looked over and saw that Jason was fast asleep.

“How are you not shivering?” Kim whispered. “Dick.”

She closed her eyes tight and thought of the summer heat. She thought of days at the beach, the hot West Coast Ocean. Nothing was working! She was shivering; her teeth even began to chatter. She was swearing and it became louder as she saw her breath. She wasn’t sure what to do and then she looked to Jason. He was probably nice and warm, his big arms could wrap around her.

“He won’t get the wrong idea, I just need to not freeze to death,” she said as she unzipped her sleeping bag.

She was hit with a strong cold breeze and she swore louder. She almost wished they were at his place, but then Pearl would probably find them and she didn’t want to have to explain to his kid sister about her sleeping over. She unzipped his sleeping bag and slowly tried to climb into it. Jason woke up as he felt the cold air and her cold skin against his.

“What’s happening?” he said sleepily.

“I’m cold and I don’t want to die,” she said. “Scoot over.”

“Okay?” he said and tried to make room.

She lay on his left arm and her butt pressed against his crotch. She zipped up the sleeping bag and they were closer physically then they ever had been. He put his right arm around her and his body was radiating heat. She swayed a bit so she could be closer and feel his warmth. She closed her eyes and was ready to sleep but when he spoke she tried to turn to him.

“Are you okay?” he said. “I hope I’m not-“

“You’re fine, Jay,” she said. “Relax and we’ll both have a good night’s rest.”

“Usually I have to buy a girl dinner first,” he said with a soft laugh.

“You’re thinking about sex at a time like this?” she said.

“I’m a seventeen year old guy, of course I’m thinking about sex,” he said.

“Are you still drunk?” she asked.

“Are you not?” he said with a chuckle.

“Just go to bed, we’ll talk about this tomorrow,” she said.

He held her as he closed his eyes and he felt content. She wasn’t cold the whole time as the time of them sharing the sleeping bag increased they both became warm. He fell asleep but Kim lay awake wondering what they were doing. Both of them seemed to refuse to define the relationship out of fear of ruining the Rangers. The thoughts of how Ty quickly turned on her still nearly made her sick. She hated being so hung up on that douche bag.

If anything Jason was nothing like Ty so she shouldn’t be so afraid to open up to him. But here they were, in a place that he felt special about. He quickly accepted her idea of them sharing the sleeping bag. So why was she stone walling him? She sighed and tried to move closer to him. Her hands too his wrist, as she held him she felt closer to him and his soft breathing started to calm her down.

 _We’ll talk in the morning_ , she thought before she fell asleep. The night melted away and she felt Jason move. It was jarring enough to wake her up. She rubbed her eyes and looked at him. It was still dark and she almost fell asleep again. But he tapped her shoulder and pointed. The sun was rising, the sky was purple and it bled to a dark pink as the orange glow peaked over the horizon.

“Holy Shit,” she breathed. “I’m never up this early.”

“This is ours,” he whispered and she looked to him with a tilted head.

“What do you mean?” she said as softly.

“This moment, right here and now is ours and only ours,” he said and smirked.

“You’re such a nerd,” she said as he turned to her.

Kim put her hand on his cheek and leaned in and kissed him. The light of the morning sun painted their cheeks as they kissed; Jason kissed her back without even thinking about it. His head slightly buzzed from his hangover, his mouth was dry but he ignored these tiny gripes. She took hold of his blonde hair as she kissed back; he leaned back as they kissed. She breathed out as the kiss ended and looked at him. She studied his features, him smile and dimples.

 “I really care about you and I don’t know what to say,” Kim said.

“I care about you,” he said. “I also don’t know what to say but we can both figure this out together.”

Jason put his arm around her as they watched the sun rise. It was a nice quiet morning; they both heard each other breathing. The birds started chirping loudly as they awoke as well. A few twigs break as other woodland creatures wake up. Kim snuggled closer to him, rested her head on his shoulder and sighed happily. Kim wrapped her arms around his waist as the sun continued to rise.

Kim had felt less confused than she had in months. It felt like they had both been giving off mixed signals. She could hear his heart beating rhythmically. She had felt connected with Jason more than ever even more than when they nearly died protecting Angel Grove. Life had been very peacefully but she knew a new evil will come but as of now the Earth was safe and she was overflowing with positive feelings.

“We should go on that date tonight,” he said.

“You’ll have to bring me home so I can shower and get into a better outfit,” she said.

“Eventually,” he said and smiled. “Our moment isn’t over yet.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'd like to publicly apologize for the lame title.


End file.
